Choreographers Salary

I think many of us know what a choreographer is. With as many dance movies that have come out over the past several years along with popular shows such as Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, it is very hard not to. But for those of you who may not already know a choreographer is a person who designs, stages and creates dances and movement for a solo dancer, pair of dancers or a company of dancers. These people are professionals who put together pieces of art that are brought onto the stage and shown to the world.  A choreographer is typically an older dancer, one who has danced for quite some time and has now turned to being the one who uses their own creativity and knowledge and passes it along to the younger dancers now.  There are a lot of job responsibilities and duties that come along with being a choreographer and throughout this article I will outline what to expect out of job responsibilities, what job opportunities are out there, what kind of education you are looking at and what a choreographers salary looks like. 

Choreographers Job Responsibilities

A choreographer is responsible for a lot of things. He or she will be in charge of holding auditions, hiring and firing, creating unique pieces of art to be danced and being able to teach the choreography to the dancers.  A choreographer must have a strong work ethic and be able to work grueling hours, including early mornings, late nights and weekends. You will find that a choreographer must be in shape and have a lot of stamina to be able to teach and dance the whole time.  Being able to remain flexible, open minded, take criticism and critique well and listening to others are all key factors that every good choreographer should have.  Being in the world of dance or art means that you will be immersed in a world of differing opinions, ideas, creative individuals everywhere, opinions, critiques, attitudes and divas.  Being able to deal with all of this and take it in stride is very important.  Along with having strong stamina you must also have a strong backbone and be able to take anything thrown at you. 

Choreographers are also responsible for scheduling auditions, scheduling practices, rehearsals and making sure that everything is on a schedule and will be ready for the show.  They are also responsible for being able to communicate effectively to their team, to the director, producer, the hall where the event is taking place and anyone else involved. Having strong communication skills, being able to collaborate and work well with others are all strong attributes that any choreographer must posses to be successful in this job.  They should also be disciplined, have perseverance in times of stress or controversy along with having respect for him or herself along with the craft.  Being a strong leader and being able to have strong dancers is a critical requirement out of any choreographer. 

Above anything a choreographer must be able to express him or herself through dance or movement. Being able to be artistic, creative and narrative are extremely strong attributes that any choreographer must posses.  Being able to stage or create a performance over and over again is a harder feat then many people imagine but a choreographer must be a spring of constant creative juices.  Being able to come up with masterpieces and have and eye for beauty. 

Job Opportunities:

To say that there is competition in the world of art and music is an understatement. We hear it all the time, on the reality shows that we watch, in interviews that we have listened to and what we have read in books. The world of art, choreography, dance, theatre, entertainment and music is always a field that is far beyond just simply being competitive.  This is a world where if you want it you have to climb over everyone just to try to be seen.  This is a world where success and being able to sustain your job is always a struggle.  The economy being in shambles is hurting the world of choreography and entertainment as well.  Unfortunately there are companies and theaters shutting their doors left and right, which makes this an even harder field to try to get into.  If you are looking into getting a job as a choreographer I would suggest looking in smaller venues where the competition is not as steep, check out regional and city theatres.  I would also check into cruise ships, dance schools, theme parks, schools, universities and other live venues. 

Educational Requirements And Salary:

There are no educational requirements needed to become a choreographer, even though you will find that some of the most successful choreographers hold degrees in performance art and dance.  Many people in this field of work have not gone to college or finished college. But if you are looking to get into this world you will find that many people have been training in this line of work since they were young, very young.  If you are serious about becoming a choreographer it may look good to get a degree in some kind of performing arts so that it shows that you have learned all facets of the profession and know what you are doing.  You will find that many choregoraphers work off ofa base salary.  Generally most choreographers will make a base salary of around thirty five thousand dollars a year.  Obviously you will find that that will increase with any bonuses and perks that come along with the job.

Add Your Comments about Choreographer Salary: